⌄ Scroll down to continue ⌄
Last Updated on

Technology

Uses For The Windows Key

Written by Craig Childs
Craig is an editor and web developer who writes about happiness and motivation at Lifehack
⌄ Scroll down to continue ⌄
Uses For The Windows Key

Not immediately the most useful key on any Windows keyboard, the Windows Key generally creates more annoyance than good.

But it is there, and can be useful. Although, barely.

W = Windows Key

W: Opens Start Menu

W+ E: Opens up Windows Explorer

W+ R: Opens the Run command.

W+ U: Opens Utility Manager

W+ L: Log Off

W+ F: Search files on your computer


W+ D: Show Desktop [will switch back and forth from all minimized and back again]

W+ F1: Help Menu

W+ Pause/Break: System Properties

W + Ctrl + Tab: Cycles through Tabs in your current app [eg. Firefox’s last focused tabs]

Useless:

W+ Tab: Cycles Through Buttons in Taskbar

W+ M: Minimize all open windows.

W+ Shift+M: Maximize the windows you had open before minimizing

W+B: Set focus to the first System Tray Icon [which is the arrow if you enable the Hide Inactive Icons option]

CTRL+W +F: Search for computers

Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType software installed

[Can’t be verified by me. Discovered at SimpleHelp.net]

W +P: Starts Print Manager

W +C: Opens Control Panel

W +V: Starts Clipboard

W +K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box

W +I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box

W +A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)

W +Spacebar: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys

W +S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

To disable the Windows key:

  • 1. Click Start, click Run, type regedt32, and then click OK.
  • 2. On the Windows menu, click HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE on Local Machine.
  • 3. Click the System\CurrentControlSet\Control folder, and then double-click the Keyboard Layout folder.
  • 4. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, type in Scancode Map, click REG_BINARY as the Data Type, and then click OK.
  • 5. Type 00000000000000000300000000005BE000005CE000000000 in the Data field, and then click OK.
  • 6. Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.

How To Disable the keyboard Windows Key – [Microsoft]

Know of any decent uses? I was going to just try out every key in conjunction with the Windows Key, but I’ve got places to be…

⌄ Scroll down to continue ⌄
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
⌄ Scroll down to continue ⌄
⌄ Scroll down to continue ⌄
⌄ Scroll down to continue ⌄
⌄ Scroll down to continue ⌄